Philadelphia, PA
Can Our Concrete Jungles Function as Natural Hydrologic Systems?
Our built environments, including infrastructure and man-made elements, along with the residents of it are interconnected with the natural ecological systems that occupy the same spaces. A demographic shift is occurring as a growing proportion of the population moves into urban areas (McDonald, 2008). Close to 80% of the US population currently resides in urbanized […]
Attracting Wildlife to Your Mid-Atlantic Rain Garden
It’s no secret that rain gardens are one of the most effective site scale interventions in the green infrastructure tool box. They can manage stormwater to prevent runoff, filter pollution on-site, and provide habitat. According to a guide for homeowners developed by the Philadelphia Water Department (PWD), “Scientific studies have demonstrated that the first inch of rainfall […]
Community Involvement-The Key to Philadelphia’s “Green City, Clean Waters” Success
As the City of Philadelphia’s 25 year, $2 billion Green City, Clean Waters initiative approaches the end of it’s 2nd year, one of the key features of the Philadelphia plan continues to be an extensive public outreach and education initiative that is challenging the city’s residents to take ownership of the concept and embrace their role […]
Re-Thinking Stormwater Fees
Philadelphia’s implementation of stormwater utility fees premised on the amount of impervious surface area is the most equitable and efficient method of financing the ever-increasing stormwater management requirements that states and cities are currently facing. As the EPA notes, it used to be that like many older cities, Philadelphia based its stormwater utility fees on […]
The Highest Form of Flattery: mimicking wetlands for stormwater management
Wetlands provide numerous ecosystem services that are often completely overridden by the urban environment and fabric of the city grid. Wetlands often exist at locations in the landscape that are competitively desired for anthropogenic uses, such as agriculture - for their fertility - or business -for their adjacency to navigable waters. Historically, wetlands were a […]